A word from Beth...

I follow Beth Moore's blog and have been slowly reading her new book, "So Long Insecurity"...she posted this poem on her blog a few days ago and I thought I would share it with all of you...especially after my previous post about shedding our insecurities...

My Dear Sister

If Christ is Your Savior

You are the dwelling place

Of His own Spirit

You have it IN YOU

to be secure.

Every day of your life

You have a choice to make

You can live in your old defeat

Or you can turn from your unbelief

And choose life

Make up your mind

To put off the old you

And put on the new you.

Never, ever, ever forget

That the Lord is your security.

He will keep your foot

From being caught in a trap.

He will take care of you

To your very last breath.

Now, leave this place

And go out into the world

And act like a person

Who knows she’s dearly loved.

You were born to be exceptional.

So, Girlfriend, go forth

And walk worthy of your calling.

You are clothed in strength and dignity!

Now unto Him

Who can keep you from falling

Be glory and majesty

Power and authority

Through Jesus Christ our Lord

Now and forever more

Amen.

Life with an almost two-year-old...

These are the types of things you Google when you live life with an almost two-year-old...

He loves his little sister...and his cowboy boots...

It can all wait...

I was reminded of this poem by a friend who posted it on her facebook wall...I love it and hadn't heard it in a while. Seems like I remember my great-grandmother and my aunt saying this from time to time. Perhaps I should read it once a week...just as a reminder to slow down...

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow...

For babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow...

So quiet down cobwebs... dust go to sleep...

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep!!

Finally...a big boy bed...

We are finally back from Ohio (have been since Wednesday) and are still trying to get settled. As if things weren't jumbled enough, we decided to move Wyatt over to the current guest room and put Reagan in the nursery (finally). Josh dismantled our lovely little guest room and moved all of Wyatt's things into it. We took the huge king-sized bed off of it's frame, so that if Wyatt falls out it won't be such a big drop. Little man's new room looks a bit thrown together, but we've agreed that he won't get a fully decorated room until we move again. Plus he's one and only cares whether or not "dog dog" is with him...not about what the comforter looks like. Once we got Wyatt's new room all set up, we put the crib back together and got Reagan going in the nursery. After we finished all of this moving, the kids were exhausted so we put them down for their naps in their new spaces...Josh went back to check on them a little while later, and here is what he found...




Clearly, they didn't mind the new digs.

Anyway, that's what we've been up to. We don't really have much going on until the end of May, when we will be making a trip to Atlanta and Birmingham to see my side of the family. I can't wait! Even though my mom was just here...I could go for some family time right now. I'm also going to get to see my very best friend, Taylor...who just had precious twin boys. I can't wait to get my hands on them!

Well, stay posted for updates and more pictures! I promise I won't post any more from Ohio! haha.

Some more pictures

I hope you're not getting bored with our Ohio pictures....because I have some more! haha. I promise that one day soon I will actually write a post...

The rest of the pictures...

The kids and I are having a pretty lazy day here on the farm. Pat, Josh's mom, is at work (she's a nurse), Tim, Josh's dad, is running some errands, Josh is doing some more farming...and the kids are taking a nap. While all of this is going on, I thought I would put up the rest of our favorite pictures from our stay in Ohio. This trip has been so much fun. The kids are loving it here--especially Wyatt. We will all be very sad when we have to leave tomorrow and return to our normal pace of life in California. We might take some pictures today...if we do, I'll probably post those tonight, or when we get home. So stay tuned!


Wyatt watching the cows...

Wyatt and Josh heading to the soda shop for dinner...

Wow! That's a big tractor!

Having fun with Daddy...

Enjoying the farm life...

Doing some farming with Daddy...

It wasn't actually 90...but it did get up to 83!

Sweet Reagan waiting patiently in her car seat...

Reagan and her cousin, Ellie...

Trying to find a suitable horse...

One of Grandpa Keever's many cows...

And another...

We went to the carousel in downtown Mansfield, Ohio this afternoon...and I managed to get this shot of Wyatt and Josh. Wyatt is giving Grandpa Keever "the face", as we call it...

Another one from the farm...

Fun on the farm

We're in Ohio now, having so much fun on the Keever Family Farm. Today, Wyatt went down the road to help Daddy farm...and he loved every minute of it. We've been pretty busy, running around, so I'll post more pictures as I have them!

Thought I'd share

Just got an email from my mom with this in it...it's cute, so I thought I'd share...

MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche;
They don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils
Are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,
Filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough
Doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what
The vacuum just sucked up...

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'
And get their answer when a little
Voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth
Is not measured by height or years or grade...
It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother.....

A lesson in insecurity

I have been reading Beth Moore's new book, "So Long Insecurity...", and have been awakened to my own insecurities. We women, and mommies, put way too much pressure on ourselves and each other to be perfect and to have everything together. I feel this pressure most as a mommy. I find myself hiding the bad days and highlighting the good ones. I try not to let people see me come unglued and I am in constant pursuit of perfection. I worry about what my kids are wearing, what I'm wearing, how they act in front of others, how many activities I have them involved in, how many times a day I read to them, what I feed them, and so on and so on... the blogging world has made this a much more prevalent issue for me. I read all of these super-mom posts from people I know and I immediately get down on myself and how I'm doing as a mother-of-two.

So, I have decided to set myself free. I am going to tell you all the truth...and I am not going to worry if your kids are better behaved than mine, or if they dress cuter than mine, or if I'm a bad mother...none of that. Here are a few truths about my life as a mommy right now:

• we have a lot of good days around here
• we also have some bad ones
• at least two days a week, the kids and I wear our pajamas all day long and then change into new pj's at bedtime
• I have made Wyatt a lunch of fruit snacks, crackers, and cereal more times than I can count
• while they looked cute, I wish my kids had looked cuter and more together on Easter Sunday
• on any given day, it will look like a bomb has gone off in my house
• I only read to Wyatt once today, and didn't read to him at all yesterday
• there is laundry sitting in my washing machine that has been there for 3 days now (gross, I know) because I've just been too busy to go in there
• I keep telling myself that I'm going to iron those clothes on my closet floor, but never get around to it
• I let Wyatt have a sip of my Coca-Cola at breakfast
• I haven't had a shower in 2 days...sometimes I go 3 without one...again with the busy-ness (if I don't sweat, I don't worry about it)
• the other day, it was 4pm and it dawned on me that I hadn't had lunch...so I ate a Little Debbie
• I still wear my maternity jeans sometimes because they're comfortable
• I ran out of eyeshadow almost 2 years ago, but would rather buy Reagan a new outfit than replace it
• we use food to bribe Wyatt to do "tricks"
• I collapse into bed every night with a huge sigh and am asleep within 3 minutes
• instead of cleaning my house, I'm blogging right now

I just think that we all put up this front because we think everyone is doing so much better than we are...that they're handling this mommy thing better...that we're not perfect and that we should be....

It's all such a bunch of bologna! Just so we're clear...I am not perfect. I am not the perfect mother. There are only 24 hours in a day. My children are not the perfect children. I try desperately to be perfect but usually fall short...such is human nature. It is by the grace of God alone that I make it through most days. It is so freeing to type those words. I hope that me filling you in on some of my secrets makes you feel freer too! Let's stop putting up the front and start calling things honestly, and leaning on God's loving arms to get through it all!

Ask me anything...

A while back I noticed that a friend of mine had added the "Ask Me Anything" box onto her blog...and I thought it was a great idea, so I downloaded the gadget from formspring...and I have my first two questions to answer!!! So here goes...

#1: How did I create my blog layout?

The basic layout of the blog is just standard blogger format. Under customize they do have different setups that you can choose from. I think I chose the minimal format and then downloaded my background and gadgets. My background is from Shabby Blogs. There is a link for their website in the top left corner of my blog page. They have tons of free backgrounds to choose from. Once you pick a background that you love, you copy its HTML and paste it to the "HTML/Java" box when you're looking at your "customize" blogger page. And that's it. I wish I had more time to be super creative with my format...but that's how simple it really is.

#2: (I'm fairly certain I know who asked this one), How much do I love my husband?

Well, let's see....he is the love of my life and was an answer to many of my prayers. I wish I could go into how God brought me out of a pit and brought me to Josh, but that would take forever...so I'll spare you and just say that our union is nothing sort of Divine Providence. He takes wonderful care of me and is the greatest provider a wife could ask for. He gave me two of the most beautiful children on this planet and is a wonderful father. He is my best friend, my confidant, the spiritual leader of our household and so much more. Really, what more could I ask for? I guess to fully answer your question, I love him more than words could ever express.

Thank you for your questions...especially yours Joshua Loyal...keep them coming!

Easter and the days that have followed

Easter Sunday was wonderful at our house. Wyatt loved his Easter basket (Reagan was oblivious), we managed to get a great family picture (see previous post), had a fabulous time at church and the kids took a great nap once we got home. This week, Josh has been working hard while the kids and I have been playing with all of our Easter goodies. I've taken a few pictures and thought I would share...there are a few of Easter Sunday and then some from our adventures this week, including: Wyatt planting some tomatoes and coloring with sidewalk chalk for the first time.

Happy Resurrection Day!!!

HE LIVES!!!

I know that I have a habit of writing holiday posts the day before they actually occur...but such is the life with a house full of babies.

Anyway, we want to wish everyone a very happy Easter! What an amazing holiday this is...while Christmas Day is miraculous, because it celebrates the birth of our Lord...Easter just seems so much bigger. Easter is the day we celebrate why our life is worth living and the sacrifice that God has made for us. Now that I am a mother, I am completely blown away by the gift of new life God has given us. To give one's own child, to cleanse the sins of mankind...it just proves how much God loves us. I hope this Sunday will give you a renewed sense of love, thanks and reverence for our God and Savior and that God will pour out many more blessings on you and yours.

I leave you with the chorus from one of my all-time favorite songs...

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,
Because He lives, all fear is gone;
Because I know He holds the future,
And life is worth the living
Just because He lives!

-Bill Gaither

A week with family

Last Friday night Josh's brother, Isaac, his wife, Heather, and their little girl, Ava, came to visit us here in California. Isaac is in the Navy and is currently stationed in Whidbey Island, Washington. They had some time off and drove down to spend a week with us! And I'm so glad that they did--we had so much fun! We did a lot of hanging out and playing in the back yard...but we also went to Sequoia National Forest and had lunch at the base Josh is stationed at too. We even managed to dye some Easter eggs (since Josh and Isaac had never done that before). Here are a few pictures from our fabulous week!